Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Robot Aided Manufacturing Center, Inc.

Thomas E Jung

David W Carroll

Robert L Cahlander

James D Ramacier

Robert A Hanson

Craig S Donnelly

Daniel G Michalski

A dispenser apparatus comprised of a stretchable adhesive tape which is detackified when stretched longitudinally. The tape is advanced through a stretching station to an array of articles to be unitized. Tension rollers are utilized on either side of the stretching station to ensure that the tape advances evenly and does not recoil. The dispenser apparatus also includes a first prime mover which advances the tape through the tension rollers and stretching station at a rate which ensures proper stretching (at predetermined intervals) and proper feeding of the tape to the array of boxed items. A controller simultaneously controls the z-axis motion (of the dispenser and rotation of the articles to be unitized. Therefore, both the number of wraps about the articles and the location of the wraps between the base of the articles and the top of the articles may be controlled.

Variable stretch detackification adhesive tape unitizer system

The invention concerns an automated vending system which uses a commercially available, multi-axis robot arm to retrieve an article from a storage location and deliver the article to a customer. The invention includes a control system which interacts with at least three entities: (a) the customers; (b) credit card agencies, as by verifying the customer's credit situation and by performing daily credit reconciliations; and (c) the control system of the robot arm, as by informing the robot which articles to retrieve. The invention includes a display which provides to the customer a catalog of articles, and allows the customer to choose an article for purchase from the catalog. The invention allows remote control of the vending system, by telephone, whereby the system can be shut down in case of malfunction. If the vending system is used to sell music recordings, the invention allows the customer to hear samples of selected recordings available for sale.

Robotic music store

Growing community of inventors

Red Wing, MN, United States of America

Thomas E Jung